North America

Investors are weighing the various outcomes, from a ceasefire to a renewed military escalation, and their impact on oil, currencies, and risky assets. Iran did not show any sign of 'agreeing' to Trump’s demand that the Strait of Hormuz be opened by Tuesday evening or face massive attacks on civilian infrastructure. This would be the largest escalation of the?war yet. The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Iran has 'cut off direct diplomacy' with the U.S. Trump gave Iran until 8 pm in Washington (midnight GMT, and 3.30 am in Tehran) on Friday to end its Gulf oil blockade....

Iberia, the Spanish flag carrier, is a part of the 'International Consolidated Airlines Group. (IAG). They have resumed flights between Madrid and Caracas after a suspension in November when tensions between Venezuela and the United States escalated. On Tuesday, a company spokesperson stated that the airline would be operating four flights per week. This is one less than it was before the suspension. Spanish carriers 'Air Europa' and 'Plus Ultra" resumed flights from Spain to Venezuela in February and March, respectively. Iberia was among the airlines to halt flights into and out of the country following a warning from the...

The U.S. and Israeli war against Iran, which has pushed up jet fuel prices, has shook the aviation industry around the world. Airlines have been forced to increase fares and adjust their financial forecasts. In recent weeks, jet fuel prices soared to $150-$200 per barrel from $85 to $90. This is a major financial blow to an industry that relies on fuel for a quarter or more of its operating costs. The list below is arranged alphabetically. AEGEAN AIRLINES The Greek airline anticipates that the suspension of Middle East flights, as well as a spike in fuel costs, will have...

The U.S. and Israeli war against Iran, which has pushed up jet fuel prices, has shook the aviation industry around the world. Airlines have been forced to increase fares and revise their financial forecasts. According to the International Aviation Transport Association (IATA), jet fuel prices have risen to $209 per barrel worldwide, from an average of $85-$90 per barrel before U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran began in February. Here is an alphabetical list of the ways airlines are responding to this issue: AEGEAN AIRLINES The Greek airline anticipates that the suspension of Middle East flights, as well as a...

Delta Air Lines announced on Tuesday that it would increase the fees for checked baggage on select domestic and international short-haul routes. The airline is trying to offset soaring jet fuel costs linked to escalating Middle East tensions. This is the first time Delta has increased its domestic baggage fees for two years. JetBlue Airways and United Airlines have also taken similar steps. After tensions in the Middle East caused the Strait of Hormuz to be disrupted, airlines worldwide are struggling with dramatically?higher fuel costs, which have pushed up operating costs, and squeezed margins. According to the International Air Transport...

The global air travel industry is still severely affected by the Iran 'war,' with many people unable to reach their destinations as planned after major Middle Eastern hubs such as Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi were closed. Here are the latest flight information in alphabetical order. AEGEAN AIRLINES The largest airline in Greece has cancelled flights from Tel Aviv to Beirut and Tel Aviv to Amman. Flights to Riyadh, Amman and Riyadh were also cancelled until June 27, and flights to Tel Aviv to Amman until 26 June. The airline has cancelled flights to Erbil, Baghdad and Dubai until June...

Internal ICE data reviewed by?by shows that U.S. Immigration & Customs 'Enforcement' arrested more than 800 individuals following tips from federal airport security officials between the beginning of Donald Trump’s?presidency and February 2026. This figure is far higher than what was previously publicly known. Data showed that the leads were provided by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which had given ICE records of more than 31,000 passengers for possible immigration enforcement. The TSA tips are primarily useful for determining the time of travel. ICE and TSA belong to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The agencies had shared information on...

Budget documents show that the White House is proposing to reduce airport security operations by more than 9,400 employees and $1.5 billion. Details were included in a budget document for Department of Homeland Security (which oversees TSA) that was part of the White House's proposed budget for the next fiscal. Congress will hold hearings later this month on the White House's budget request as lawmakers strive to reach a budget agreement?before fiscal year ends September 30. Republicans have called for the privatization of?TSA. Budget details had nothing to do with the funding impasse that Congress has been experiencing over DHS...

United Airlines announced on Friday its plans to "introduce" a new tier-based fare structure in premium cabins this year. United announced that it would offer base, standard, and flexible fare options in the premium cabins of its long-haul international flights, transcontinental U.S. flights, and selected Hawaii flights. These fares will join United's existing basic, flexible, and standard fares for economy cabins. According to the new tier fare structure, customers can choose from a range of benefits, including free seating and extra checked baggage, in the standard category. Tickets in the flexible category, however, are fully refundable, and include all the...

The U.S. and Israeli war against Iran, which has pushed up jet fuel prices, has shook the aviation industry around the world. Airlines have been forced to increase fares and revise their financial forecasts. In recent weeks, jet fuel prices have increased from $85-$90 per barrel to $150-$200 per barrel. This is a major financial blow to an industry that relies on fuel for up to 25% of its operating costs. Here is an alphabetical list of the ways airlines are responding to this issue: AEGEAN AIRLINES The Greek airline anticipates that the suspension of Middle East flights, as well...

The global air travel industry is still severely affected by the Iran War. Many people are still unable fly to their destinations as planned after major Middle-Eastern hubs such as Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi were closed. The latest flight information is listed below alphabetically: AEGEAN AIRLINES Greece's largest airline has?cancelled flight to Riyadh and Tel Aviv until April 30 and Erbil, Baghdad, and Dubai until May 31, AIRBALTIC AirBaltic, a Latvian airline, has announced that all flights to Tel Aviv are cancelled until May 31, 2019. All flights to Dubai have been cancelled until October 24, according to airBaltic....

The National Transportation Safety Board criticized on Tuesday the lack of regulations by government on driver assistance systems and raised concerns about claims made by automakers. The 'NTSB' is holding an hearing to determine probable cause for two fatal crashes that involved Ford Motors BlueCruise, a hands-free advanced driving assistance system. Thomas Chapman, NTSB member and board member, expressed his disappointment with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. He said that the agency had shown "a lack of leadership" by failing to address the issues surrounding the deployments of driver assistance systems. The 2024 rear-end accidents involved Ford Mustang Mach-Es...

The International?Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations said that pilots should be allowed to make a "final, non-negotiable decision" about whether or not they will fly over conflict zones. The IFALPA position paper was released on Monday. This comes at a time when the six-week long Iran war has reshaped the airspace in the Middle East, and increased disruptions of flights due to missile and drone attacks and interceptions. The Montreal-based IFALPA says airlines should be aware of how mental and emotional stress can arise in cockpits when operating in conflict zones. The?paper stated that the decision of the?Commander regarding...

These are the top stories from?Wall Street Journal. The?Wall Street Journal has not?verified?these stories, and does not vouch?for their accuracy. Anthropic plans to invest $200m in a new venture that will?sell AI to portfolio companies. - Broadcom will develop ?and supply custom artificial-intelligence ?chips for Google ?and additional computing capacity to Anthropic in an expansion of the strategic collaboration between the three companies. Amazon and the U.S. Postal Service has reached a new agreement to handle packages, which will?reduce Amazon's volume of packages by 20%. The 'Trump Administration' will increase payments to Medicare insurers next year by a staggering 2.48%....

Amazon.com announced a new deal with the U.S. Postal Service on Monday. Postal Service for package deliveries. Sources said that the cash-strapped postal service would retain about 80% of their 'existing deliveries' from its largest customer. This 20% reduction is much better for the postal service than the 2/3 or even larger cut that Amazon threatened last month. USPS warned that it may run out of money as early as October. Sources said that Amazon would continue to expand its delivery service, but not at a rate which would rival USPS's ability to deliver by address. First reported the deal....

U.S. Customs Agency said Tuesday that it is making progress in setting up a simplified process to refund some $166 billion?in tariff collection deemed illegal by Supreme Court. However, its new system could take as long as?45 days for review and processing?refund requests. Brandon Lord, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection representative, said in a filing to the U.S. Court of International Trade that development of a refund claims portal, review and processing system, and refund system are now between 60-85% complete. Lord did not specify a date when applications would be accepted, but the agency had previously indicated a...

U.S. 'diesel' prices have risen by 50% due to the U.S. - Israel war on Iran, which has delayed a much-needed turnaround in the trucking industry and squeezed?cash flows?and profits of independent big-rig operators. According to the American Automobile Association's data, the national average price for diesel fuel reached $5.38 a gallon on Saturday. This is up from $3.61 per gallon a year ago and not too far from the highest price recorded of $5.82 per gallon in June 2022. This was almost four months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. California, home to the busiest container ports in the U.S.,...

The U.S. The U.S. USPS needs the Postal Regulatory Commission's approval for this temporary price increase. The surcharge, it said, will be a "bridge" to a permanent mechanism that will reflect the market conditions for prices of competitive products. This comes as USPS warned they could run out money as early as October. The increase will not affect first-class stamps. USPS reported that FedEx and UPS have imposed fuel surcharges between 25% and 28% on ground and air delivery since the beginning of the 'Iran War. This is due to the sharp increase in oil prices, including a rise in...

The union reported that United Parcel Service informed the International Brotherhood of Teamsters on Tuesday of its decision to withdraw their latest "driver buyout" scheme in the central region states. The decision comes after the delivery giant announced that it would proceed with its plan to?offer $150,000 buyout packages for its drivers, after a federal judge rejected the union’s bid to stop?its workforce cutting program based on concerns about contract violations. Teamsters sued UPS on February 9 for its January 27 announcement that it would cut up to 30 000 jobs and close 24 facilities in order to move away...

FedEx announced on Tuesday that it had launched a same-day delivery service in partnership with the last-mile software company OneRail. FedEx SameDay Local allows customers to choose from a variety of delivery options, such as two-hour and end-of-day windows. FedEx claims to link 'customers with a nationwide network of over?1,000 delivery providers via a system which matches orders and drivers. This?move is a result of?companies in the sector investing in faster fulfillment and a stronger last-mile network to meet increasing customer demand for quicker, more flexible deliveries. Amazon has expanded its fast delivery options earlier this month by launching one-hour...

Authorities said that an Air Canada Express plane collided with fire truck as it landed?at New York’s LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night, killing the two pilots and injuring dozens. The airport was closed. Jazz Aviation (owned by Chorus Aviation) said that the Air Canada Express CRJ900 aircraft, operated by 'its regional partner Jazz Aviation', had departed Montreal with 72 passengers and 4 crew members. Jazz and Port Authority of New York & New Jersey confirmed the deaths of the pilot and his first officer. A partial government shutdown has caused delays, long security queues and increased safety concerns at airports...

Costco Wholesale has been sued in a nationwide class action on Wednesday, seeking refunds to U.S. 'customers for higher prices charged. A Costco shopper filed a lawsuit in federal court, Illinois, seeking a declaration that any refunds received by the company for tariffs paid under the International 'Emergency Economic powers Act (IEEPA) must be returned to the customers. The Supreme Court ruled that Trump overstepped his authority when he used the emergency powers act to impose tariffs on a large scale last year. The order has set up a sprawling litigation at the U.S. Court of International Trade where more...

The White House announced on Monday that it had terminated Todd Inman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board. This was after reports were received about his inappropriate behavior and failure to attend meetings. White?House spokesman Kush?Desai?said?Inman's removal from the NTSB was legal after receiving "highly concerning reports" of inappropriate alcohol consumption on the job. He also received reports of harassment of staff and misuse of government resources. Inman has categorically denied all allegations contained in the White House Statement. It has become increasingly apparent that this was a political hit-job. Inman stated that, "While not my original intention?...

On 'Sunday, a Republican member of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board claimed that he had been fired by the White House on Friday without explanation. Todd Inman was a former chief staffer to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao in President Donald Trump's initial term. He had been a member of the NTSB from April 2024. Inman was the board member on the scene at the American Airlines collision with an Army helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport in January 2025 that 'killed 67 persons and the November crash of the UPS cargo plane taking off from the Louisville, Kentucky airport...